Why did I even try?
by DarkestWolfx
Summary: John takes Sherlock with him to help him get their shopping. Never again. Set sometime after the Blind Banker, but before The Great Game.


Just a little something that I wrote the other day, but forgot to upload. I hope you like it :)

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John couldn't believe that Sherlock hadn't been shopping. Mrs Hudson had looked after him and he just generally didn't eat unless he wasn't on a case, but even then to see the detective swallow anything would be a miracle. Sometimes he would forget to drink anything as well and it would only be when John forced a glass of water into his hands that he remembered such a trivial thing that humans needed in order to keep going.

They often drank tea (if they had any milk that was) and John had recently found himself living off of toast and bites out of take aways or meals in restaurants since living and working with Sherlock. Despite this though, he knew he wouldn't give it up unless for a really pressing reason.

However this morning, John looked at the empty fridge and cupboards and signed before looking over to Sherlock who was busy tapping keys on his, or rather John's laptop. Making his way over to him, the doctor grabbed his jacket.

"Come on we're going out."

"What?" Sherlock asked as he looked up at John who was holding his coat out to him.

"You and I are going to do the shopping."

"It's alright, you can go." The detective replied before going back to typing, answering John as if he had offered him the choice of coming with him or not.

"It wasn't optional Sherlock," John explained, "Come on. You've complained all morning about being bored and now you're, okay I don't know what you are doing on my laptop, but I'm sure you can tear your eyes away from it for an hour."

Sherlock stood up and took his coat from John's grasp as the doctor shut his laptop and made his way to the door with Sherlock following behind him with not the most happiest of faces.

They met Mrs Hudson when they walked down the stairs and John asked her politely if there was anything that she wanted them to get for her while they were out. She gave them a small list of basic things like bread and milk and some nice biscuits before the pair left to go to the shops.

It was a nice, warm day outside and some people had short sleeves on. Some, like John had put jackets on, but John knew he would end up taking his off later. Either way, there was no one wearing a coat and scarf like Sherlock was. The doctor didn't understand how he managed, but he could easily say that he knew it wasn't a healthy or wise thing to do. But then Sherlock never did listen to doctors.

The walk to the supermarket didn't take them very long and the pair were soon entering the shop. Sherlock was just looking at all the isles while John picked up a basket. They picked up a packet of apples first, or rather John did while Sherlock stood and watched while the doctor went about picking up what they needed.

"Mrs Hudson wanted some biscuits, Sherlock," John said while he picked up . When he got no answer he looked up, "Sherlock?" With a sigh, John realised that the detective was no longer with him. Picking up the basket again, John began to walk around the supermarket as he would have done, in a logical order, while at the same time looking around for any sign of Sherlock.

He was picking up biscuits for Mrs Hudson when he saw the detective's coat.

"Sherlock." He called quietly" but either he wasn't heard or he was being ignored. Picking up the basket he attempted to follow the disappearing detective through the supermarket and eventually managed to almost run straight into him.

"Sherlock, where did you go?"

"I got bored." Came Sherlock's reply.

"So you just walked off?" John asked.

"Yeah."

"Come on. We need to go back and get tea bags," John told him before going to head back to that isle, "You can carry this." He finished as he handed Sherlock the basket. The detective took it and followed the medic, his boredom still very much there.

"Is there anything you want Sherlock?" John asked as they continued to walk around the shop to get the things that they needed. Sherlock didn't answer, "Sherlock?"

"What, sorry John, did you say something?" Sherlock asked, seeming to come out of his revered state.

"Yes, I asked if you wanted anything."

"Oh, no."

"Well then we just need to get milk and then we can go home." Sherlock (once again) didn't answer, but John could tell that he wanted to leave. John picked up a four pint bottle of milk and put it in the basket that the consulting detective still held before heading to the till, leading Sherlock along beside him.

"Pass me the bread, please," John asked as he put the milk in the bag, "Sherlock?"

"Sorry." The detective said before handing John the packet of biscuits for Mrs Hudson.

"I asked for the bread Sherlock, not the biscuits, but thank you anyway." The doctor replied as he took the packet of biscuits from Sherlock's grip. When every item had been scanned, John pulled out his credit card and put it into the reader machine. But as per usual, it declined his card and an assistant came over to him with a cheery smile.

"Can I help at all Sir?" She asked. The blonde could be no older than twenty five and John just smiled at her and said no before retrying his card, which was once again denied.

"Are you sure I can't help you?" She asked again, seeming to find the situation slightly funny. It was then that she noticed Sherlock and the coat that he was wearing and chuckled slightly. Sherlock didn't see what was so funny and gave her a curious glance.

"It is sixteen degrees out you know. I'm sure you don't need a coat, especially not one like what you are wearing." She commented as John card was declined again.

"Well I'm sure you don't need to wear a ring to stack shelves," Sherlock commented, "Or deodorant that's for men. But then again you would after your boyfriend had proposed to you only last night."

"What?" She questioned in slight shock, "How can you know that?"

"Because you keep smiling at that man over there who is wearing the same deodorant and has the box for that ring in his pocket still." Sherlock explained, leaving out some of the main details that led to that explanation.

"That was a lucky guess." She added, but Sherlock didn't stop there, turning to the woman who was stood at the self service checkout opposite them, but he gained others attention in the process.

"Excuse me, can you just confirm that we have never met before."

"We have never met before." The woman answered, looking completely confused.

"You have a small white cat and three small children, your husband is in another relationship, but you haven't told them yet. You like cooking, but don't feel confident without recipes that are already published by top chefs that appear on tv." By the time Sherlock had finished, John had buried his head in his hands and given up trying to pay with his card. Sherlock seemed to guess this and pulled a credit card out of his pocket.  
"You can pay with this." He told John as he held it out to the doctor who took it quickly and tried for the fourth time that day. Sherlock entered his pin and the machine accepted his card and allowed them to pay for the shopping. John picked up both the shopping and the detectives credit card before making haste to leave.

"Come on." He ordered Sherlock when the detective hadn't moved. Sherlock followed the doctor out of the supermarket and the pair made their way back to Baker Street. John was walking as quickly as he could to try and get away from the supermarket and get them both back home: away from total embarrassment.

Mrs Hudson was grateful for them picking her up some shopping and tried to pay John for what he had bought, but he said she didn't to considering what she always did for them. Heading up the stairs to their flat, John headed into the kitchen to put their shopping away and Sherlock took his coat and scarf and sat down at the desk and reopened Johns laptop to look at his emails.

"Do you want tea?" John asked as he left the milk and tea bags out o the side and started boiling the kettle.

"Hmm." Was Sherlock's only answer, but it wasn't really able to count as one, so John decided to make him one anyway.

"I'm never taking you shopping again," John commented as he brought the tea in, "That was a nightmare."

"Why?" Sherlock asked, "I didn't start it."

"No, but you didn't have to retaliate." John informed him, taking a sip from his cup of tea.

"She didn't have to comment." Sherlock answered a moment later before silence fell across the room of the flat. John took another sip from his cup before looking at Sherlock.

"Thanks for letting me use your card though," The doctor started, "I still need to transfer that money you gave me into my bank and-"

"Yes!" Sherlock exclaimed as he jumped up suddenly, grabbing his coat and scarf and pulling them on.

"What's going on?" John asked.

"A case in Belarus, John, that's what it is." Sherlock told him before grabbing his gloves as well and his mobile. John recognised this as a cure to Sherlock's boredom at least, but Belarus? Was he really going to go. Well obviously the answer was going to be yes.

"Sherlock-" John tried to start his next sentence, but the detective just spoke over him.

"Are you coming?"

"No, I have to stay, I have work and-"

"Okay, goodbye John. I'll be back in a few days."

"Yes, okay, but Sherlock-" The door shut and Sherlock had left before John had even gotten the chance to finish. After all though that was life at Baker Street, living with Sherlock, there was always something unforeseen waiting to happen. You just had to get used to it.

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Just a little something I thought of when I took my younger cousin shopping with me and she went off round the supermarket on her own and wasn't much help, but still fun and inspiring to make me want to write this. Also the idea for Sherlock's deductions came from a conversation she had with me on the way home. :) Thanks for reading.


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